Strawberry Planter Project

At the start of the year I bought 30 bare root strawberry plants for the excellent price of £11.50! When they arrived I potted them  on into some small pots to grow on. They have soon out grown these and I have been in need of potting them on. For one of the varieties I had made a couple of window box type planters from old pallets, but for the rest I was short of something to put them in. I have looked at the various strawberry planters to buy but none of them really took my fancy and their cost outweighed their utility.

On hunting around the garden and shed I came across a length of 4 inch diameter waste pipe and decided that this would be perfect. This is what it turned out like....

So thats what it looks like as a finished item, and I have to say I was feeling pleased with myself. Its not beautiful but it certainly does the job, and the only thing  paid for were two large jubilee clips. On a design level what I was looking for was something portable, cheap and easy for propagating runners.

It was very simple to make, its just a pipe after all. But here is how I did it.

I got my 4 inch pipe, my drill and a 32mm drill bit to make the wholes.

The gaps between the wholes are roughly about 4 inches, I didn't measure at all and did it by eye. I did this all away along leaving roughly 4 inches at each end.

This took no time at all to do, it would take anyone with a better drill than me even less time. With all the wholes in it was time to think about how it was going to sit. Originally I wanted to hang it from the fence but decided against it. My other solution was one I made whilst drilling the wholes and this was what i came up with....

Simple really, the cut out from the pip screwed to 2x2 piece of wood made a perfect stand. As you can imagine I was patting myself on my back for sometime with this little bit of ingenuity. My partner did not share my delight in what I had done, so I showed my like minded neighbour who gave me the praise I thought I deserved!!!I made three of these and they hold the pipe perfectly.

Once all this was done I made the ends, I looked at getting real pipe end caps but the cost of these was to high even on ebay so some black polythene jubilee clipped on was the cheaper better option for me.

Well that's it really, it works. There is one thing that I will add when I replant in a year or so, a watering system of some kind that runs through the pipe. at the moment the water runs of alot. But it will do for now.

Garden Music

When I am out in the garden I do like to listen to music and I think take inspiration from it. Two bands come to my mind that I really feel influence my approach to the garden, as weird as that sounds. Certain songs really resonate and instantly make me think about my garden. I have never heard of a musically inspired garden but I hope there are some out there. I am sure there are. Well the first of the two bands that I feel influence and inspire me is, British Sea Power. If you have not come across them before...... They are amazing in my unbiased and not at all obsessive opinion. The entire aurora (for the lack of a better word) really touches me, not just the music, but the ideals they up hold, charisma...... well just everything about them really. I can not imagine who I would be with out coming across their single 'Carrion' in 2002/03. I met my partner through are mutual love of this band as she was the only other person I had met who knew who they are! This is a band that will write songs about the Larsen B ice cap, you won't see One Direction do that anytime ever! Anyway here is a selection of songs that I love to listen too in the garden. First up I must have 'Carrion' as this is were it all starts.



The next song speaks to the environmentalist in me, its very rare to here a song like this that tackles a subject like this and does not sound over the top and ridiculous. This is 'Childhood Memories'.  


This one is just so very sweet, 'Do You Wanna Be A Bird'.



I could go on and on and on and on and on and on................and on about BSP, but I will restrain myself and move on to the next band..... Grandaddy. Possibly the greatest band ever to come out of California IMO. I am no expert on bands from California that said. This is 'Broken Household Appliance National Forest'



and........ 'Now its On'



These are a very small selection of songs, I could go on, there are so many that really spark my imagination when I here them. These are some of mine I would love to here if anyone else has music that they listen too in the garden that is also part of their inspiration.

Blogging at Work on My Phone, How Modern!

I work in hospitality and its been a busy few weeks were I have had very little time to do anything else but work. The garden has taken some of my spare time, but its been mainly rushing around with the watering can in between shifts. I am at work right now writing this on my phone whilst all is quiet. 

Tomorrow I have a long awaited day off and time and good weather to get things done. A few things have happen out there on my "estate" which I hope to post about tomorrow. Although things have been crazy at work I have but to wait just seven days for nearly a whole two weeks of freedom and hardcore gardening!